Orlando beat the Miami Heat 117:108, while New York beat the Toronto Raptors 117:101.
For Orlando, which was without injured leading scorer Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane poured in 37 points, making six of nine three-point shots, with six rebounds and five assists. Paolo Banchero returned from a ten-game layoff with a groin injury and added 18 points, while Jalen Suggs had 20 points.
For Miami, Norman Powell scored 21 points, and Tyler Herro had one less.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to a convincing victory over Toronto with 35 points, 20 of which came in the first quarter. Josh Hart added 21 points for New York’s eighth win in its last nine games, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 16 rebounds. For Toronto, Brandon Ingram finished with 31 points.
TUFF. pic.twitter.com/wrHkoHhwL7
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 10, 2025
The teams will meet in the semi-finals on Saturday, while the final is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who will host the San Antonio Spurs in the quarterfinals on Thursday night CET, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will host the Phoenix Suns, will try to qualify for the final tournament.
Victory and placement in the final tournament bring the players about 90,000 euros in prize money, while the triumph in the cup is worth 430,000 euros individually.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
